New York City Travel Answers

Hi! I visited New York in June last year and stayed at Murray Hill East Suites. It's located at 149 East 39th Street, not far from Grand Central Station and Times Square. The hotel is not for those hwo want luxury, but it's still clean and fresh. We didn't eat breakfast in the hotel (it is available though), since it's much cheaper buying ingredients from the nearby grocery store. Hope you enjoy your stay!

You can search this site www.homeaway.com and see if you can find any good deals in Manhattan.

it might also be of help if you can provide us with an idea of what you consider affordable or reasonable? Inexpensive and NYC do not usually go hand in hand, especially as you get closer to the main touristy areas. Homer

Yes, NYC is very expensive. If you are thinking150/night, you can forget about it. Renting an apartment for less than 30 days in NYC is illegal. You can easily be scammed arriving to find no apartment. Or, the neighbors can easily report you to the police, and you'd be out on the streets. Or the apartment is roach and rat infested. In other words, I wouldn't. Look into affinia.com They have 2 bedroom suite for418/night + tax at the Eastgate Tower Hotel. I'd grab it.

Try airbnb.com we found a great place on UPW for our december trip on there for 4 of us. We had a 1 bed 2 bathroom place, king size bedroom and 2 of us slept on a sofa bed in the lounge, there was also an extra murphy bed - worked out great value.

sorry that should read UWS!

karen mo, Unless the owner is there in the apartment with you, what that owner did was illegal. You cannot rent out apartments for less than 30 days in NYC. Google it if you don't believe it.

***karen mo, Unless the owner is there in the apartment with you, what that owner did was illegal. You cannot rent out apartments for less than 30 days in NYC. Google it if you don't believe it.*** It may be "illegal", but MANY NY'ers do it all the time to make some extra$. You most certainly can rent out apts in NYC for less than 30 days in NYC. If you get caught...then there is an issue....The main issue with this type of rental is if it is a scam and the renter is left w/o an apt for their time in NY. And that is NOT an active legal issue in NY unless the renter is stuck and contacts the police. Would I do it??? I live here so it's not an issue..But it is done often and with and w/o success. "Illegal" in NYC is like saying that after hour clubs/drugs/ etc are cut and dry illegal. Yeah..on the books, but it happens ALL the time...

I think your best bet is to find hotels in Long Island City which is a short subway ride to Manhattan. You can get two rooms for much less then in Manhattan. Also you can try some hotels in Manhattan in the 20's on the East side again where two rooms are cheaper then midtown. AirBnB is a good idea but not all will offer you the type of accomodation you are seeking. As for apartments yes they are illegal but some can be found, however the legal ones are more difficult to find. Most you will see are too good to be true so be careful.

But back to the OP's main issue......NYC is expensive, especially for days. You need to keep looking and hoping that you find something. And as 1 poster said, what is "expensive"??

Okay so4000 max for the four of us

That comes to222.22 per night for each room. That is only on Long Island City and probably at nothing better then a 2 star in Manhattan. I would review your budget or accept the fact that the adult daughters may have to share the room with 2 double or queen beds depending on the hotel. If you husband still does not wish to share with the girls then increase your budget. Breakfast can be had outside for not much of an expense in smaller restaurants or cafes.

I'll throw this out just to start a conversation with the locals: It has been noted on the forums before that short-term rentals just across the river in New Jersey are NOT illegal. Would there be a reasonable opportunity there? Yes, it's longer via transport but maybe an acceptable tradeoff?

Goodfish..IMO it depends.... Is this the OP's first time in NY..and do they want to maximize their time in NYC?? Do they wish to spend added$ on the commute?? Would they mind catching the train/bus back to NJ at night?? Are they prepared to spend the entire day in NYC vs being able to go back and forth to a NYC hotel? If they answer Yes to just the first question...I would opt to stay in the city... OP, try to see if any dates are available @ the NU Hotel in Brooklyn. Literally 5 minutes from Manhattan. You can walk across the Bklyn Bridge back to you hotel or into the city. The Sheraton is nearby but would be more expensive. Just a thought....

Indeed the money spent on transportation from NJ for 4 people for 9 days is something not really worth the savings on the room rates since they will eat up these savings on the transportation from NJ which is sketchy at best on some days. So stick to some part of the 5 boroughs of NYC. And indeed the time wasted each way on the transportation to and from NJ is really not worth it.

Thanks, folks - just thought it was worth asking as I've seen that recommended before when wishing to rent apartments, but locals, as always, know best. :)

If the OP is interested in sacrificing travel time, to and fro Manhattan, in order to save money on hotel rooms, then I'd suggested staying in Hoboken, Jersey City, etc. It would take an hour to go 1 way to Manhattan, plus the costs of each person's PATH tickets. To me, it's not worth it, but the OP may like doing that.

It's really too early to find anything other than rack rates for those dates right now. However, since you are willing to split up into two rooms, I would suggest you bid on rooms via Priceline. Google the bidding process for hints to find the best hotel rooms. October is a very popular and expensive time in the city, but that first week often offers some discounted room rates. Continue to check on travelzoo.com, quikbook.com, travelocity, expedia, and kayak.com. The LIC hotels are a fabulous alternative for you and are one subway stop away from Manhattan. If the Affinia group of apart/hotels don't offer you anything in your budget, check out RCA apart/hotel. I would have recommended the 2 bedroom Beacon suite, but I'm not sure it would be in your budget. Check on beaconhotel.com. You'll see their rooms have a fully equipped kitchenette. It's location on the UWS, near the Ntl. History Museum and Fairway Market make it a very nice place to be, indeed. Short term apartment rentals, less than 30 days, are illegal to rent in NYC. Not getting caught doesn't make it legal. There are only a handful of legal b&b's in NYC as well. Many of these places have Certificates of Occupancy to allow affordable housing for those who require this help. Renting these rooms for a vacation stay is not only a violation of the building codes, it also takes away affordable housing for those who truly need it.

If you don't mind sharing room the 4 of you together, try to call this hotel and ask them for an offer: Comfort Inn Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, 17 Seabring Street , Brooklyn, NY, US, 11231, Phone: (718) 222-3200 They can give you good offer on the phone (not online) and from this hotel it is easy to use nearby Subway station to get to Manhattan in short ride. Price can be total about 200.- dollars per night including the taxes, I think it is reasonable amount, New York is not a cheap place to be in.

I am well aware of the illegality of renting an apartment in New York. I do have the Affinia group in mind particularly the East gate tower. I will have to not be so ambitious and reduce our stay in New York to a week and go gallavanting around the state having a look see at other wonderful places. Thanks for your help

Excellent. Good luck with everything! :)

How about Embassy Suites? They have a few locations in/around the city, and they have 2 bdrm suites. My husband, baby, and I stayed at The Hyatt Place in Secaucus, NJ (Meadowlands) the last time we visited NYC (sorry, they don't have suites or else I would recommend them). Even though it was NJ it was very convenient for us. A local bus took us from the hotel to Penn Station/Times Square in 20 mins.

Hi Guys I have finally booked the Eastgate apartments (Affinia). I'm happy with my choice and the daughters are kicking in part of the cost Yippee! Thanks for all your help

Perfect! Have a great time.